rug Abuse and the American Society of Addiction Medicine has defined alcoholism as follows: "A primary chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or periodic" (Baciewicz, 1993, pp. 223-227).
Many of the attributes of alcoholism are common to other addictions. In general, addiction involves both psychological and physical dependence (Koob & Weiss, 1992, pp. 201-224). The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) divides psychoactive substance use disorders into categories of abuse and dependence. Accordingly, DSM-IV describes substance abuse as "a maladaptive pattern of use, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three (or more) of the following symptoms occurring at any time in the same 12-month period: (1) tolerance; (2) withdrawal; (3) substance taken for longer periods or in larger amounts than intended; (4) persistent or unsuccessful efforts to cut down on use; (5) a great deal of time spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance or recover from its effects; (6) important social, occupational, or recreational activities given up or reduce because of use; and (7) continued use despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem likely to be caused or exacerbated by the substance" (Franklin, 1995, pp. 1656-1657).
Various observations imply a common neurochemical basis for addiction to alcohol and certain other drugs. For one, alcohol and drug addictions often occur in combination. Second, family studies support a genetic basis for the behavio...